Growing Ducklings

The baby ducklings are blossoming into awkward adolescents. Gosh, it seems like just yesterday they came home in a little box all new and fuzzy. Today they look like lanky teenagers getting their first little bits of scruff (mostly on their tail feathers).

Their brooder has been upgraded in size about three times since we initially brought them home. They each had about one square foot to start and are now somewhere around two square feet per duckling. In another week or two, we will probably increase that to about three square feet per duckling.

Our house is beginning to smell like a barnyard, despite changing their bedding 2-3 times a day. They absolutely love to splash water all around themselves, which becomes problematic by getting their bedding too wet. We are using pine shavings as bedding because we can fluff it up between changes to let the wet parts dry out a bit.

Over the last week, they have been introduced to grit, some new tasty snacks and being held more often. Just like our chickens, they seem to love pasta and gobbled up some leftovers. I have also been chopping up other kitchen scraps like parsley, mushroom stems, and lettuce leaves. They also got to try some english daisies and clover I picked from the yard. Here is a short video of our blue duck being held while the others play in the water.

I am really looking forward to this weekend when I can bring them outside for a few hours. We will need to watch them closely of course, as their small size makes them susceptible to curious cats. The weather should be warm enough for them during the day and I’m sure they will love exploring the big world of bugs in our backyard.

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Hello homesteader! I'm Renee Wilkinson and this is where I've chronicled my adventures in homesteading since 2007. Here you will find 1,000+posts on modern homestead projects, edible landscape design and the occasional life update. Read More…